Diesel Straps on Another 'Riddick' Sequel

What do you do when Hollywood won't give you a leading role unless it's in a film you already starred in? Well, if you're Vin Diesel, you put your head down, thank God you managed to survive as an actor for this long, and take those horrible sequels like a man. Not only is Diesel getting ready to star in sequels for XxX and Fast and the Furious, but now he's leaping over to another dead franchise hoping to breathe a little more life into it and his career.

Variety tells us Diesel has signed to produce and star in a third installment of his Riddick franchise, with David Twohy taking on writing and directing duties after previously penning and helming both Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. No storyline has been revealed yet, though some claim this sequel will nudge closer to the more successful (with fans, anyway) Pitch Black by focusing on the character of Riddick rather than the universe he inhabits. After he's done with Riddick, Fast and the Furious 5 and XxX (2? 3? 4? Where are we on this one?), one imagines Diesel will then move on down the list to see what other previously successful Vin Diesel films he can sequelize -- most notably, The Pacifier, which earned roughly $113 million at the box office. Then, hopefully, we'll get to see Diesel team up with The Rock in a film that combines the action and the family-friendly; perhaps something like Santa Clause vs. Chanukah Harry: To The Death!